Curriculum Overview and Concepts

Curriculum Overview

• Curriculum refers to the total learning experiences of an individual in both school and society.
• It's derived from the Latin word "curere," meaning "to run," implying its purpose of providing a structure for learning to take place.

Traditional vs. Progressive Curriculum

• Traditionalists view curriculum as a document outlining learning objectives, outcomes, and methods for delivering and assessing subject matter.
• Progressivists view curriculum as the school's overall effort to achieve desired outcomes both in and out of school settings.

Curriculum Terminology

• Curriculum planning: The process of creating and arranging curriculum plans or learning opportunities.
• Curriculum plan: A pre-arranged set of learning opportunities for a specific group of learners.
• Curriculum guide: A written curriculum plan.
• Curriculum laboratory: A space or workshop where curriculum materials are gathered or utilized by teachers and learners.
• Resource unit: A collection of suggested learning activities and materials organized around a specific topic, aiding teachers in planning, developing, and evaluating learning units.
• Curriculum development: The ongoing process of selecting, organizing, executing, and evaluating learning experiences based on the needs, abilities, and interests of learners, as well as societal or community factors.

Types of Curriculum

• Recommended Curriculum: Proposed by scholars and professional organizations, often from national agencies or groups involved in education.
• Written Curriculum: Comprises documents, course outlines, or syllabi for implementation, developed by curriculum experts and teachers.
• Taught Curriculum: Encompasses the planned activities teachers implement or deliver in classrooms and schools, representing the actual curriculum in action.
• Supported Curriculum: Consists of material resources like textbooks, computers, audio-visual materials, laboratory equipment, playgrounds, zoos, and other facilities that support curriculum implementation.
• Assessed Curriculum: Refers to evaluated aspects of the curriculum, including assessments conducted by teachers throughout and at the end of teaching episodes to determine teaching effectiveness and student progress.
• Learned Curriculum: Reflects learning outcomes measured by tests and changes in behavior, encompassing cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains.

Curriculum Evolution in the Philippines

• Commonwealth Era (1935): The Bureau of Education expanded and elevated elementary teacher training from secondary to collegiate levels. Commonwealth Act 586 (1940), also known as the Educational Act of 1940, recognized the elementary school system. Collegiate normal schools (1939) offered two years of training beyond high school. Grade VII was eliminated, and the double single-session system was implemented.

• Japanese Occupation (1942-1945):

  • Japanese-devised curriculum:
    • Introduced nippongo (Japanese language) into the curriculum.
    • Abolished English as the medium of instruction and as a subject.
    • Censored and revised all textbooks.
    • Formal training focused on vocational, technical, and agricultural areas.
    • Curricular content centered around values rooted in the love of labor, including physical education and Japanese songs.

• Liberation Period (1945-1946):

  • Focused on community school ideas and the use of vernacular languages in the first two grades.
  • Increased use of Philippine-oriented instructional materials.
  • Emphasized national development and ensuring education's relevance to the changing world (Educational Development Decree of 1972).

• New Society Era (1972-1986):

  • Elementary Education: Focused on the 3Rs (reading, wRiting, aRithmetic), integration of values into all learning areas, and emphasis on mastery learning.
  • Secondary Education: Increased time allotments, introduction of YDT (Youth Development Test) and CAT (Career Aptitude Test) courses, and elective offerings as part of the curriculum.
  • Curricular emphases included moral values, proper teaching methods, teacher retraining, vocational and technical education, bilingualism, national consciousness, and cultural values.

• Present Curriculum (1986-Present):

  • Strengthening values education under PRODED (Program for Decentralized Educational Development) and SEDP (Secondary Education Development Program).
  • Emphasis on national development and values education.
  • Implementation of NESC (National Educational System of the Child), addressing civic, intellectual, and character development.
  • Implementation of RBEC (Revised Basic Education Curriculum).
  • Implementation of the K-12 Curriculum.

Educational Philosophies and Curriculum

• Educational philosophy: Provides the foundation for curriculum development. Curriculum planners, implementers, teachers, and school heads use philosophical frameworks to guide their decision-making.

• Aims of Educational Philosophies:

  • Perennialism: Aims to educate the rational person and cultivate the intellect.
  • Essentialism: Promotes individual intellectual growth and development of a competent individual.
  • Progressivism: Fosters democratic and social living, emphasizing lifelong learning.
  • Reconstructionism: Emphasizes social improvement, reconstruction, and education for change.

• Roles of Educational Philosophies in Education:

  • Perennialism: Teachers help students think rationally, often employing Socratic methods like oral exposition or recitation.
  • Essentialism: Teachers are considered authorities in their subject areas.
  • Progressivism: Knowledge leads to development and growth, promoting active learning through doing.
  • Reconstructionism: Teachers act as agents of change and reform in educational projects, including research.

• Focus of Educational Philosophies in the Curriculum:

  • Perennialism: Emphasizes classical subjects and literary analysis.
  • Essentialism: Focuses on traditional core subjects and skills.
  • Progressivism: Prioritizes real-world experiences, student interests, and problem-solving.
  • Reconstructionism: Addresses social issues, promoting critical thinking and social reform.